


Making It Work

by isloremipsumafterall (orphan_account)



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-01
Updated: 2014-10-01
Packaged: 2018-02-19 12:37:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2388467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/isloremipsumafterall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fitz meets Mack at the Academy during his first year when they’re partnered together in his engineering class.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Making It Work

**Author's Note:**

  * For [plinys](https://archiveofourown.org/users/plinys/gifts).



Fitz meets Mack at the Academy during his first year when they’re partnered together in his engineering class. When he first met the tall broad shouldered man he had honestly assumed that Mack belong in Operations and had just walked in to the wrong academy somehow, he’s proven wrong quickly because Mack, while not being as smart as him, does keep up rather quickly.

He’s also pretty unaffected by Fitz’s shifting moods when he’s stuck in a complicated project and has a tendency to snap at people. Mack just shrugs and sits at the other end of the table working on his own thing until Fitz mutters some kind of apology unprompted and then they’re working together again.

Fitz honestly tries to ignore Mack’s soft eyes as he watches Fitz ramble on about something and the heat from Mack’s hand when he claps Fitz’s hand. Tries to ignore that Mack acknowledges when he needs space and when he’s too excited to talk and just needs to work or that grin when Fitz has figured something out quick enough and Mack’s calling him ‘Turbo’ in a teasing voice.

He tries to ignore it but he doesn’t and it all comes to head during their winter break when Mack’s leaning in to his space to look over a blueprint and Fitz’s turns his head to kiss Mack in frustration. Rather than get angry at him Mack continues to break all of Fitz’s expectations by sliding a hand up his arm to rest as his shoulder, thumb swiping broad strokes and kisses Fitz back.

For a while it’s perfect until the day the Academy decides to nominate some people for field work and Mack’s picked.

“I can always say no.” Mack’s looking at him while he packs his bags.

Fitz shakes his head, “You’ve always wanted field work.”

“You could come with me.” Fitz hates that Mack makes that a tempting offer because never before has he wanted to go out in to the field, he likes the lab. Mack smiles when he notices the struggle on Fitz’s face as he thinks of a reply. “Never mind, look it’ll be okay.”

Mack throws a shirt at him, his grey plaid one and Mack’s personal favourite. “Keep that. I’ll come back for it.”

When he kisses Mack goodbye he presses it to his memory along with the promise that they’ll make it work, they’re both geniuses, it’s possible.

~~

Jemma Simmons is his new partner and had Fitz not met Mack first he might have fallen in love with her at some point because she’s just as clever as he is and balances his techniques perfectly. But she doesn’t call him ‘Turbo’, doesn’t bring him a tea in the morning, and hasn’t been sleeping with him for the past few months. But aside from that he really does enjoy working with Jemma.

“Should I be worried about cheating?” Mack’s tone is lighthearted despite the words, they’ve still got the low rumble to them that Fitz remembers.

Fitz balances the phone against his ear as he fidgets with the computer chip on the table. “As if. Should I be worried, you’ve done nothing but talk about Idaho all day.”

Mack’s been assigned to a shield agent named Hartely and her team, Idaho and Lance. Apparently he and Idaho get along well and there’s a pit of bitter jealousy in Fitz’s stomach whenever Mack talks about him. So far all they’ve had is a phone conversation here and there, it’s rather disheartening.

Mack lets out that breathy laugh he does whenever he thinks Fitz is being funny. “Nah, Idaho’s cool but he’s no you.”

“No one is like me.” Fitz can let his ego loose a bit, rather please by Mack’s response.

“You got that right.” Coming from someone else it might sound like an insult but from Mack it just sound fond.

“When are you swinging by the Academy?” Fitz tries to make it casual but he was still excited that Mack mentioned they’d be coming by for some downtime later in the year.

“Don’t know yet. Miss me?”

“No.”

“Liar.”

Of course he’s lying, he’s wearing the plaid shirt that Mack left and acting like everything’s normal. Fitz switches the subject to ask about Mack’s latest mission and lets Mack’s voice roll over him while he works and pretends that it’s like Mack’s still there.

~~

A few months turns in to a few more months when Fitz asks when Mack’s stopping by, his team is busy chasing down armsdealers and can’t come back yet. When Fitz hears that Mack’s stuck on some of the designs for a cloaking device he pushes all other projects from the back of his mind to cook something up for Mack and is pleased that Simmons helps him with it.

“I think it’s sweet that you’re making this for him.”

“It’s not just for him.” Fitz denies, “It’s for all SHIELD agents.”

Jemma looks at him like she doesn’t believe him. Neither does Mack when he sends it to him, calling him that night with a delighted yell and ‘I miss you, Turbo.’

The next week he gets some kind of recording in the mail, the second he puts it on he recognizes it as Mack singing in the shower. Apparently in thanks for the cloaking technology Mack’s team recorded it to send to Fitz. It makes him laugh all day and laugh even harder when Mack complains about it that night.

He still listens to it on repeat that night.

~~

A year has nearly passed since he’s seen Mack and a month has passed since they talked because Mack’s team is on radio silence and doesn’t know when they’ll be coming back.

Mack’s shirt has long since stopped smelling like him but Fitz will still put it on on occasion; listen to the recording of Mack’s voice while he does his work.

A whistle pierces that air. “Now that’s impressive Turbo.”

Fitz freezes because he’s memorized the recording and that’s not part of it and more than that it sounded so real for a second there. He turns around to see Mack standing at the doorway, looking around the lab with admiration.

“You’re back then?” He plays for calm and is pleased he gets it.

Mack raises an eyebrow. “For a few days yeah.” He drops his bag on to the ground and strolls in, hands open and stretched out, “This the welcome I’m getting?”

Fitz hums, eyeing Mack up and down before he starts snickering. “What is that on your face?”

Mack’s grown some kind of facial hair, it’s actually not that unattractive but it is different. “Hey now, I just hadn’t had time for a shave. Figured dropping by to see you was too important.”

“Course it is.” Fitz grins, letting Mack slip in to the space in front of him.

“You gonna let me kiss you or should I find a razor first.”

“No,” Fitz strokes the beard, “It could grow on me.”

There’s not much talking after that when Mack swoops down to kiss him and they stumble out of the lab and back to Fitz’s room, Mack’s warm where he’s pressed against Fitz’s back as they walk and Fitz has missed that heat.

They only make it to the lab to work together a few times during the week, arguing over Fitz’s designs and tweaking things to make improvements here and there. Most of the time they spend in Fitz’s room.

When Mack goes to leave he shrugs on the grey plaid shirt and Fitz feels like someone’s injected ice in to his heart. “So that’s it then?”

Mack merely shakes his head and tosses a new shirt at Fitz, a blue plaid one. “It’s my new favorite, I’ll be back for it.” He grins. “Sides it’ll bring out the color of your eyes. Make them pop.”

“Yes because that’s what I’m concerned about.” Fitz drawls, rolling his eyes.

“Well I can always use the image to keep me warm during the cold nights.” Mack kisses him, a slow deep kiss that Fitz will deny makes his heart beat faster.

“Talk to you later then?”

Fitz nods and hopes that later comes sooner than normal. A few months down the road Simmons asks him if he wants to join a field team and this time he says yes; partially because he does want to get out there now and partially because if he is out in the field then the chances of running in to Mack raise exponentially. If Mack teases him about it then Fitz is going to broadcast his shower singing for everyone to hear.


End file.
